Susan's Devotion
by gmoney480
Summary: People think that Susan was a passive ruler in Narnia, that she made very few contributions to Narnia. They think that gentleness equates to weakness, but they are mistaken.


People think that Susan was a passive ruler in Narnia, that she made very few contributions to Narnia. They think that gentleness equates to weakness, but they are mistaken.

They call Susan the Gentle Queen, and they are right but they are all so off mark they've hit a completely new target. They don't know how wrong they are, how blind they are to who Susan really is.

They have a very specific and predetermined idea of what constitutes as 'gentle.' And Aslan are they wrong. All they see is her beauty, her calm demeanor, her unfailingly good manners and they dismiss her as unimportant. They call her Light, delicate, demure. Little do they know that they are all literally correct but so many of them are so utterly _wrong_.

It usually doesn't bother her, because Susan knows her worth, knows that she is equally as important as her brothers, maybe more so because there are pre-set rules in war, not easy to learn but like math and history are easy enough with the proper teacher. The only rule Susan must follow is to prevent war from ever happening by any means necessary.

Her brothers have found mentors to teach them strategy and tactics, for not even the White Witch could stamp out the traditions and fighting styles that have been passed down from father to son for generations, but there is no one to teach her after a century of isolation from other countries. So Susan must be her own teacher, so she finds her own weapons and uses her beauty, her charm, her smile because she will do whatever she can to keep her family and her people safe. Words are gentle, but they can still hurt more than any blade.

People forget that Aslan bestowed upon her the radiant eastern Sun. The Sun may warm and be essential to growth but it is also a great ball of fire, capable of causing ultimate destruction over time. She is as radiant as the Sun, but the Sun is not harmless and neither is she.

Susan is like water, wearing away any obstacle in her path, no matter how long (The Grand Canyon was created by a gentle stream of water, but it is the largest chasms in the world.).

Thunder is loud, it is visible, and it is what alerts others to the ongoing storm but it is lightening, silent and swift and blindingly beautiful, that is what truly affects the world. People are scared of the loud crash of thunder but it is lightening that they should cower in fear of, but so few people are able to see it.

The skillful leader subdues the enemy's troops without any fighting; they capture the cities without laying siege to them; they overthrow kingdoms without lengthy operations in the field. Susan recognizes the value of subterfuge, of the value of seeming to be harmless for she hears much more about the workings of other countries. They think her simple, a simpering Queen interested in only the latest fashions and the next party, like the princes and princesses in their own lands. They forget that she is not a princess but a Queen, chosen by Aslan Himself to protect and preside over Narnia. Ruling may be their birthright but Susan was born to rule.

They forget that she understands exactly what they are saying and so she knows who has monetary problems, those on the verge of war, which countries have more insidious intentions towards Narnia, and whose trade routes are most easily poached. Edmund might be in charge of Narnia's economy but Susan was the one who taught him how.

Susan will always play her part for as long as she can, for Narnia will always win every battle that is never wrought. She doesn't need recognition to know that her role is important. If she was not needed then Aslan would not have called her.

Her brothers fight wars and her sister heals the wounded but Susan stops any of this from happening in the first place. Even when they win, all Susan sees is a lesson to improve from because this is not victory, peace is the true prize so she gets better until wars occur less and less.

They forget that she is one of the best archers in all of Narnia. They forget that she is as smart as Peter, as cunning as Edmond, and as tenacious as Lucy. They hear the pluck of a string and assume guitar, harp, violin, and never realizing that she has released an arrow that's heading straight for them. They forget that a bow can be a gentle weapon, how all she needs to do is draw the string to her lips and with a single breath hit her target. Bows by themselves do not kill; they do not directly cause bloodshed. However, they still fire the flaming arrow that, when aimed precisely, destroys all. Her brothers may be the swords of the Realm but Susan is the bow. They think her incapable and without weapons. They never see her, only the arrows that she loosens.

The battles Susan has won and the lives she has saved go unsung because they never were at risk and this is the greatest contribution to Narnia Susan could ever give.

They think that she is weak because she has empathy and compassion, but caring translates into a desire to protect and only the strong can truly protect. She just has a different definition of what is strong. When she questions her ability, she remembers that when the Queen tied Aslan and cut off His mane, it was the small gentle mice that cut off His shackles and gave Aslan back his freedom. Those that are gentle can be the strongest force and deal the greatest blow because no one will see them coming.

When Susan was still in England, she read about a style of Japanese martial arts called Judo. In English, the word ju literally translates to 'gentle,' but that is only one translation. Other translations are flexible, wielding, adaptable, but never, never weak.

Susan is Gentle, she is loving and caring and protective. She is a Queen of Narnia, as strong as lightening, and she will not let those she cares for be in pain.

Susan is lightening and water and words and the bow, and no one sees her until she has irrevocably made her mark.

They will sing of her hair and her face, of her grace and wit, but it is in only whispered stories that they will know the true value of Gentleness.

Aslan knows of Susan's devotion, of her achievements and failures, of the lives she has saved and those she has not. And that is enough.


End file.
